Content hearts
by nastazia indark
Summary: Orihime is finally out on a date with Ichigo,but she doesn't seem to be that happy.Evolving her thoughts,she finds that this is not where she truly wanted to be. Ichigo,Orihime,Uryuu and OC tangled in their own way.
1. Helena

She was there. After all this time, on a date with Kurosaki-kun. One part of herself shouted that she should be happy. Should? Why wasn't she happy?  
>"Oi, Inoue!" her orange-haired mate called her. Orihime snapped out of her daydreaming, to find herself sitting next to Ichigo, who was looking at her as if he hadn't seen her before.<br>"Where are you travelling again, girl?" he asked her, leaning closer to examine her now flushed face. Orihime looked at her lap, trying to get her mind back to her date. But every time she tried, her mind wandered off. To the sight of him.  
>Lately, a new student had been transferred to their class. Helena was a beauty. Plus, she was like…the female version of Ishida. She looked pretty much like him, and she had the same interests. She was an excellent student and a hotshot girl. Everyone found the need to be near her, and many boys fell to her charms. But she had set her eyes on Ishida, whom she discreetly started flirting, shortly after her transfer.<br>He, at first, seemed ignorant of her gestures. And that was, up until the day Orihime told him, while he was taking her home –a habit that they had for months- , that she was planning on talking to Kurosaki about her feelings. He would just look at her intently and say: "That's up to you, Inoue san. I hope he will return your feelings. One-sided loves are not a good thing." ,before pushing up his glasses. Orihime didn't notice the sadness in his eyes, until much, much later.  
>Soon afterwards, Ishida started responding to Helena's moves. He spent more and more time with her, dedicating his attention and his time to her. The well-endowed teenager felt happy for her friend. She turned to Kurosaki, trying to attract his attention more zealously than ever. Until…<br>It seemed quite obvious to everyone that Ishida and Helena had become a couple. Everyone was envious of the bispectacled teen. Orihime however, was totally oblivious. But she couldn't help but wonder why her friend became so distant. He had stopped taking her home in the afternoons, and he rarely answered her phonecalls. When he did so, he was cold and typical. One day, she decided to spend her lunch break with him, so they could work things out. So she headed towards his favorite spot to meet him, but stopped suddenly, when she noticed Helena sitting next to him, tugging in his collar, leaning on him for a kiss. With her eyes wide open, she saw him folding his arms to her waist, pulling her closer as he was kissing her back. Orihime blinked once, blinked twice and then took off silently. She should be happy that her friend was not alone, but she felt rather…jealous. This day, much to surprise of her classmates, she was strangely silent. She wouldn't respond to anyone's gestures. Not even when Chizuru leapt on her to hug her- thankfully, Tatsuki was around to save her best friend.  
>When school was over, she approached Ishida, wanting to talk to him. She saw him, packing his books hastily, ready to leave, so she stopped him.<br>"I-Ishida-kun?"  
>The boy turned his head and looked at Inoue, frowning.<br>"Yes, Inoue-san?" he answered coldly, turning his gaze back to his bag.  
>"Are you going home? I thought that…if you do, we could walk together!"<br>Ishida stared at her, his eyes colder than ever. And…sad, somehow. He raised a finger and readjusted his glasses. "I'm sorry but…I'm not going home for now. I'm…rather busy."  
>Her heart sank for a moment. But she wore on a smile. "It's okay! Maybe some other time! Ishida-kun… I'm very happy for you, you know. Helena-san is a great girl. Beautiful, and smart, and graceful, and…"<br>"Please stop, Inoue-san. " Her friend's cold voice prevented her from talking. She stared at him, eyes wide open with surprise. She'd never heard him talk to her in this manner.  
>"I know all these. Helena-san is excellent, indeed. And thank you. But maybe you should go back to Kurosaki, instead of seeking my attention. And now, if you're okay with that, I have to go." He took his bag and left, grinding his teeth as he left without another word.<br>She blinked, trying to hold on some tears that she felt that would be running, and got ready to leave, lowering her head as she walked out of the classroom.


	2. All the little things

Days passed. Weeks passed. Orihime tried to focus on other things: her friends, her studies, Ichigo. But something was bothering her. Something was missing. She was watching at Ishida from a distance, while he seemed to change day by day. He seemed… carefree, somehow. The ginger-head girl believed that Helena-san had helped him, a lot. From one point of view, she was happy. She truly cared for Ishida, she only wanted to see him happy. But…she missed him. A lot.  
>One day, she found herself seated under a tree in the school yard, alone, protected from the sun and everyone else. Suddenly, she felt a gaze upon her, and a stern voice was heard.<br>"Inoue-san."  
>She gasped. How come and she didn't notice him?<br>"I-Ishida-kun…"  
>"Mind if I sit?"<br>"Please, do so…"  
>He sat close, but far enough so they wouldn't touch each other. He leaned his head against the tree and look up to the sky.<br>"How are you, Inoue-san? Why are you here alone?"  
>"I…" She tried to explain, but she stopped. "I have a headache. So I thought that a quiet place could help me. What about you? Where's Helena-san?"<br>He frowned. "She's not here today. She's sick, so I told her to stay at home and rest."  
>"I'm sorry… I hope she gets well soon!" Orihime chirped, trying to sound calm.<br>He nodded. And then there was silence between them.  
>She was the one to break the silence. "Uhm… Ishida-kun…I was wondering how you were…We don't talk much lately…" Her fingers started playing with her skirt nervously.<br>"I know, Inoue-san. I am fine. What about you?"  
>"Uhm… good, I guess."<br>He turned and looked at her, raising his eyebrow in question. "You guess? Why? I thought things were going good with Kurosaki lately."  
>She looked down on her fingers. So, he knew. It's true that Ichigo had started talking to her more lately. Tatsuki claimed that he seemed to like her. She wasn't sure whether she was satisfied with this or not though. "Oh well… That's true. But it's not like he has done anything yet…" she murmured.<br>He turned to look at the sky again, his hands crossed under his torso.  
>"Everything on time, Inoue-san. After all, a heart should be content enough not only with the big things, but with the small things too. Something small can satisfy a kind heart more than anything. That's something that you never understood."<br>She look at him, her eyes seemed a little bit teary as she gave him one of her most puzzling looks. But Ishida put an end to this conversation. He smiled softly and stood up, ready to leave.  
>"Goodbye, Inoue-san. I hope everything goes well with you and Kurosaki."<br>Orihime watched him walk away, and suddenly let her tears flow. Now she knew. She knew that he loved her. And she knew that her heart was content when he was around. But it seemed too late.


	3. Date?

She was alone in the class. Standing next to the window, she was watching down at the yard. Many thoughts crossed her mind for days after her talk with Ishida. But she couldn't place them in order. She spaced out, his voice still echoing in her head. All the little things… Why, why didn't she notice earlier? His devotion to her was so overwhelming. And she just sent him away. She pressed her head against the window and shut her eyes closed, trying to keep those thoughts away.  
>"Inoue! So here you are!" Ichigo's voice sounded next to her, and she jumped.<br>"K-Kurosaki-kun! What's wrong?"  
>Ichigo looked away. "I was wondering… Do you want to go out with me?"<br>Two grey eyes opened wide. "You mean…?"  
>"Yes, Inoue. You and me. On a date.<br>"S-Sure!" She couldn't believe what she heard, given the fact that she thought that Ichigo never liked her. But here he was, looking at her, asking her out. What an irony…  
>"So… Tonight? Is it okay with you?"<br>She blinked, still trying to process the information in her head. "Yeah… Sounds good."  
>"Great. See you tonight, Inoue." He leaned closer, placing a kiss in her cheek, and then turned and left, his face slightly red.<br>Tatsuki's head was shown from the door. Seeing her best friend holding her cheek with a confused look on her face, she ran to her. "Orihime? What's wrong?"  
>"Kurosaki-kun…"<br>"Yeah, what about him? Did he upset you? I'll kick his…"  
>"No… Not at all. He asked me out…"<br>Tatsuki smiled wide and hugged her friend. "Orihime! That's great! I mean…you wanted it for so long!"  
>"Y-yeah…"<br>Tatsuki frowned. "Aren't you happy, Orihime?.."  
>Orihime snapped out of her thoughts and tried to smile. "Yeah, I'm okay! I was just shocked, that's all! So…what should I wear?"<p> 


	4. Ichigo's plan

Orihime looked at herself at the mirror. Tatsuki smiled behind her, proud of her friend's beauty. She was the school idol, after all. She had followed Orihime home, keeping her company while she searched through her clothes to find the appropriate outfit. Nothing seemed good enough to Orihime, who was hesitant on her choices. So Tatsuki tried to help her. Together, they chose a dress that looked so pretty on her.  
>"You're so beautiful, Orihime!" Tatsuki said proudly.<br>Orihime nodded. She was smiling, but it was obvious to both herself and Tatsuki that it wasn't a real smile. It didn't reach her eyes. Tatsuki was worried, but it seemed to her that Orihime wouldn't talk about it yet. Today she was pretty closed to herself. And she respected that, but she was still very worried.  
>The princess, as Tatsuki used to call her at times like that, was fully dressed and ready to meet Ichigo. He had arranged for her to meet him in a cafe, so they would be sure they wouldn't attract attention, there was no reason for it. So, Orihime walked out of the door with Tatsuki and started walking towards their meeting place. But her heart seemed…uneasy. Such a big thing happened and she was like this? Then Ishida's words echoed in her mind again. The small things can make a heart more satisfied, huh? She laughed bitterly, trying to hold back some tears. It didn't matter now. She should be thankful that Ichigo had finally made his move. Isn't that what she wanted, after all?<br>Ichigo was at the café, waiting for her in a small table. Orihime put on her best smile, fixed her dress and sat next to him. Ichigo smiled at her and they started talking. But Orihime's mind wasn't on what Ichigo said. Normally, she'd be the happiest girl alive. But something inside her didn't feel right. She wasn't content.  
>"Oi, Inoue! Are you listening to me?"<br>She turned bright red, realizing that Ichigo's face was awfully close to hers. Was…was he going to kiss her? His nose almost touched hers, and he tilted his head a little. She opened her eyes as wide as possible, feeling shocked as he leant in closer.  
>Instead,he raised a finger and poked her forehead.<br>"You fool…" he said, as Orihime's eyes opened even more.  
>"K-Kurosaki-kun!"<br>"He loves you, don't you know that? And it's obvious that you do, too." A confident smile showed upon his face as he leaned back on his chair.  
>"W-What are you t-" She tried to say a few words but Ichigo stopped her.<br>"I know that you love Ishida. You were so depressed since he started avoiding you, that I wanted to punch him. But I also know why he did that. He was in pain. But now that you've realized, you should go and find him."  
>She was shocked. "B-But… You, and me and Ishida-kun and Helena-san…"<br>He sighed. "Look. You should go and find him. I only got you here to prove you that you love him. Someone had to do it, right?" He smiled wide. "After all, he and Helena broke up a few days ago."  
>"W-What?Why?"<br>"He should tell you that, not me. Now go, you silly!" He nodded at the door.  
>Orihime smiled, this time for real. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. Thank you…" Then she got up and walked through the door, towards Ishida's apartment.<br>With a big smile, Kurosaki leaned back on his chair, drinking his refreshment as he thought. "You two idiots… Be thankful that you have me as your friend!" He chuckled at the thought, and relaxed, satisfied with his deeds.


	5. Content

Orihime ran, and ran, and ran. She was heading-almost blindly- to Ishida's place. She needed to know what happened between him and Helena. Her heart was beating madly, as she was thinking about them all.  
>In the meantime, Ishida was taking a bath, trying in vain to relax. His body was already calm, but not his mind. He sighed deeply, thinking about all the events of the last days. He and Helena broke up. It's not that she wasn't good. She was great. But no one could compare to Orihime. She was the perfect one to his eyes. And that became obvious a few days ago. When, during a kiss, he called her 'Hime' . By then, she probably guessed, but after that she was sure. So, he told her that he set her free, feeling the guilt overwhelming him.<br>His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Worried as he was, he wore a bathrobe and rushed to the door. When he opened, he flushed,seeing the last person who could expect: Orihime.  
>"Ishida-kun…I'm sorry if I interrupt…"<br>He tried to speak. In the end, he coughed and led her in. "I'm sorry, Inoue-san. It's not appropriate of me to show myself like this…Give me a second and I'll be back."  
>She nodded, pretty flushed herself. "Take your time, Ishida-kun."<br>When he changed into his clothes and gained back his self-control, he went back to where she was. He found her looking down, mind-absently.  
>"So…" His voice startled her, but she looked at him with a smile on her face. "What brings you here tonight? Weren't you supposed to be on a date with Kurosaki?"<br>"Weren't you supposed to be with Helena-san?" Her question, addressed so straightforward, surprised both of them. He blushed and looked away, trying to avoid her gaze.  
>"Well… we broke up."<br>"Why?"  
>"Why do you want to know?"<br>"Just tell me why!"  
>He looked at her, surprised. Her eyes were too intense on him. He didn't seem to be able to stand it anymore. He was losing his control because of her eyes.<br>"Because I love you! If you want to know so much!"  
>Suddenly, he felt two warm hands placed on his face. He tried to talk, but Orihime leaned close to him, kissing his lips. He was surprised, he hesitated for a moment, and then he kissed her back, wrapping his arm around her waist, bringing her closer.<br>After a moment that seemed almost frozen in time, she broke the kiss and opened her eyes. He did the same, still dazed from the much-awaited kiss. She leaned to his ear and whispered. "Now, my heart is content. With all the things we shared. I love you too…"  
>He smiled, and pressed her against him. He was content too.<p> 


End file.
